One can hardly imagine the phase that Laslo Djere went through a few years back. The Serbian star, who has been playing on the ATP Tour for many years now, suffered a tragic personal loss back in 2012 when he lost his mother. Six years later, another tragedy struck Djere, as his father passed away while he was just 23 years old. Despite this personal shock, the Serbian star went on to win his first ATP title at the Rio Open a few months later. As he readies to face his compatriot Novak Djokovic at the US Open later today, scars from that tragedy are still afresh in the mind of Djere.

Djere’s mother, Hajnalka, passed away while she was suffering from colon cancer. Six years later, he lost his father due to the same disease, while he was still setting his footing on the ATP Tour. It was his father, Caba, who introduced Djere to tennis. However, when the Serbian star won the title in Rio, he wasn’t there to witness his son taste glory. An emotional Djere dedicated the title to his parents.

He said, “I want to dedicate this title to my parents — I lost my mum seven years ago and my dad two months ago. It’s due to them that I am who I am today, I hope they are watching me now. ” The early loss of his parents due to colon cancer left a huge void in Djere’s life.

During an interview in 2019, he revealed, “I miss my dad’s text messages after matches, and I miss my mom’s love and support. Life would be easier with them. But I know that my time will also come. We are not here forever, not one of us, and I just want to use the time while I’m here in a positive way and do as much good as I can.”

Further, Djere faces a familiar opponent in the form of Djokovic. Last year, they clashed in the same tournament and he came close to defeating the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

Laslo Djere after close defeat against Novak Djokovic:  ‘I know that I can play really well’

Playing in the third-round match, Djere took the first two sets against Djokovic. However, the Serbian legend made a thrilling comeback to defeat Laslo Djere in five sets. It was Djokovic’s most difficult match en route to his title-winning run, something which Djere will take a cue from when the two clash today.

After his heartbreaking loss, Djere said, “I know that I can play really well, so this performance will certainly mean something for the future, but it remains to be seen whether it will be a springboard. I’ve been playing well for some time now… I didn’t feel any pressure when I was 2-0 up, my mind hasn’t wandered at all, just a little bit.”

Although Djere has yet to win a match against Djokovic in two attempts, he would like to shake things up today. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs against the defending champion. Do you think Djere can pull off an upset against Djokovic this time? Let us know in the comments below.